The options for energy drinks have exploded in the past few years. From your simple cup of morning coffee to chemical-based energy drinks found at the convenience store, there is no end to what you can take to get the energy boost you need. Some of these drinks, however, can have major drawbacks that can cause problems in the near and long term. It’s why more and more people are turning to natural energy drinks to get the boost they need with fewer side effects.

Natural energy drinks use the power of plants found across the globe to give people more energy. There are two major factors that separate natural energy drinks from all the others. Today, we look at these two important differences and why they matter for people who want more energy without the usual side effects, like crashes and increased levels of stress and anxiety.

A more sustainable energy boost

When you rely on chemical-based energy drinks for that boost, you end up going through a cycle of high energy and major crash. The chemicals in those types of energy drinks isolate the energy-boosting compounds and strip away everything else, like taking only caffeine and leaving out all the other compounds that occur in black tea or coffee. As a result, your body gets overloaded and ends up losing energy very quickly after that initial high. While some energy drinks have managed to make the boost last longer, the crash has never quite gone away because of this chemical refinement removing important ingredients.

Natural energy drinks, by contrast, use the power of all-natural, plant-based ingredients to give your body energy while letting you down easy. One of the main reasons for this effect is because the energy provided is holistic and includes the important compounds that come with energy-boosting substances like caffeine. So instead of simply getting raw energy, your body gets the other nutrients it needs to stay energized. The result is a better, more sustainable energy boost that doesn’t have the intense crash of other kinds of energy drinks.

Adaptogens to regulate stress

Adaptogens are powerful plants and herbs that are found throughout the world. All of them offer energy boosts along with added benefits that can help your body stay strong and healthy and they are common ingredients in many natural energy drinks. Adaptogens come in many forms but they all share something in common: they help the body regulate its stress hormones, particularly cortisol.

Cortisol is how your body adapts to stressful moments, helping it flood with other compounds and hormones that accelerate your heart rate, help your muscles spring into action and regulate your body’s functions to optimize its flight-flight-freeze response. It’s a direct result of our ancient lifestyles and it hasn’t adapted well to the stresses of modern-day living. At the physiological level, your body can’t tell the difference between an animal attack and a flurry of angry emails from your customers or clients.

Cortisol offers the body a way out of immediate danger, but it can have lasting effects, such as high anxiety, inability to focus and an elevated heart rate. It takes that initial stress and extends it out over time, draining the body without giving it time to recover.

Adaptogens help your body counteract the effects of cortisol so you can get the energy you need without triggering stress reactions from the body. They do this in one of three ways, either by reducing the cortisol levels in your body, blocking your receptors from using cortisol in your system or helping flush it out more quickly. While the mechanism may be different, the results are the same: a less stressful reaction to life and a more sustainable energy boost when you need it.

The power of natural energy drinks

Are you looking for an alternative to chemical-based energy drinks or yet another cup of coffee? Then the answer may be natural energy drinks. Packed with the energy you need along with compounds that help you stay energized without the drawbacks, natural drinks are an increasingly popular alternative. They can help you get a more sustainable boost and provide you with added benefits from adaptogens to keep your stress levels in check throughout the day. Whether you need that morning wakeup or something in the afternoon to help you power through, natural energy drinks with adaptogens can help.